You've Never Seen The Legion At War
by TackAttack
Summary: Or, Jason's victory over the Titan Krios and his rise to praetorship. Written for BlackSCrazy's Once Upon a Time competition.
1. Chapter 1

**This is written for BlackSCrazy's Once Upon A Time Competition. Many thanks to my Beta, The Proud CC Giver!**

**I do not own PJO.**

**The Beginning**

Jason storms toward the principia with only one intention in mind. The cold breeze ruffles his straw-blond hair, but he doesn't notice the chill. The crowd of people, his family, part for the angry son of Jupiter. His eyebrows furrow in thought, remembering the dream from last night.

"_You must not fail me, son," Jupiter said._

_Jason bowed. "Yes, father."_

_Jupiter cleared his throat and continued to pace. "I claimed you for a reason, Jason. Do not fail me. Rally the legion to war. Saturn must be defeated."_

"_I will not fail, father," Jason said. "I will make you proud."_

"_Humph," Jupiter said dismissively. "You have already fallen short. If you were truly worthy, you would be praetor by now."_

_Jason gulped. "Yes, father." _

"_See to it that you succeed. The future of the world hangs in the balance." He disappeared in a flash of blinding light. _

That cold dismissal hit Jason right in the heart. If his Roman pride hadn't kept him marching forward, he might have even cried.

But Romans don't cry.

Especially not sons of Jupiter who have their eyes on the praetor's chair beside a daughter of Bellona.

He noticed the long looks she gives him when she thinks he's not looking, as if she's analyzing his bone structure. It makes him uncomfortable.

He mounts the stairs, managing his toga with extraordinary grace.

"Grace!" calls Dakota from the crowd.

Jason turns. "Yeah?"

"Get 'em, tiger!"

Jason laughs and enters the principia. It never fails to awe him, even though he's been inside dozens of times before. The white marble Roman columns, the soaring ceilings, the solid gold praetor's chairs, one empty, the long marble table with personalized chairs.

Jason looks around. He's the first person here. Except, of course, for the praetor.

Reyna lounges on her throne, picking at her fingernails. She barely looks up when Jason enters.

"Grace," she says casually. "You're early."

She always seemed to be here. Jason thought she might even sleep in the principia on occasion.

"So are you." He replies. Then, a thought strikes him. "Reyna, I-I wanted to tell you something."

"Shoot," she says.

"Last night, I had this _dream._"

He has Reyna's interest by now. "Go on," she says.

He continues, telling her what happened. Her brows furrow in thought. "Then you have to convince them," she says.

"I know that," he says exasperatedly. "Could you, you know, put your vote in for me when I bring it up?"

"We'll see. Depends on how well you do. I can't let you slack off in your duty."

He shakes his head, knowing this is as good as he's going to get out of her. "Right. Thanks. Good luck today."

"You're the one who's going to need it," she retorts dryly, but it's with a sly twinkle in her eyes, the one he likes so much.

He grins at her, then takes a seat in his chair at the head of the table. It's a handsome chair, gold with inlaid lapis lazuli stones.

He sits back the moment Octavian walks in. Without giving any inclination that he sees Reyna or Jason, he seats himself. Jason studies the snake. Wet, slicked to the scalp, white blond hair, and squinty blue eyes. Tall and lean, with barely a muscle on his body. A teddy bear hanging from his toga belt. Holding a strip of old fashioned Roman parchment. Quite a bad outfit.

Jason's hands go for his coin before he remembers it's at his bunk in the fifth cohort. He resists the urge to curse.

It's the loudest silence Jason's ever heard, brimming with unsaid arguments. It used to be an easy silence between the three of them, a laughing silence. Then Octavian became augur, and everything changed.

The clock ticks louder and louder until it's all Jason can focus on.

The door to the principia opens, and a torrent of people flow in. They don't seem to notice the awkward silence, instead filling the lofty building with noise, sending echoes bouncing the marble columns.

Reyna waits until they have all seated themselves before she addresses the two dozen toga-wearing people. "This is the June meeting for the demigods and legacies of New Rome. Jason Grace would like to start the debate off with a message he received from Lord Jupiter himself."

Jason resists the urge to roll his eyes. He takes a breath, then begins, wording his speech very carefully as he begins. "Last night, I had-a dream. My father–Lord Jupiter– was there. He sounded tired and weary, and he said–he said that Saturn is rising."

Jason pauses for a moment. There's not a sound in the whole principia. He goes on. "He said that we–the people of Rome–have to go to war against Saturn."

Octavian gets up out of his chair. "How do we know this _dream Jupiter _was really Lord Jupiter? It could be, you know, just a dream? Secondly, we don't have the numbers for a full-blown war with Saturn and his minions. Thirdly, we have scouts stationed at Saturn's Olympus. If they had spotted any significant rebuilding, they would have sent an eagle."

The gathering nods and mutters in assent.

Jason addresses Octavian again. "Firstly, you should know what a dream vision is, since you're the augur. Surely you've had them? Secondly, no we don't. Not in the cohorts. But in the village, we do. Intensive training schedules for the next few weeks and we'll be ready. Thirdly, the scouts are dead. Father showed me. They died two weeks ago, but before they died, they sent an eagle saying that there is movement around the ruins. They've been slowly rebuilding themselves for years, you know that, Octavian."

Octavian spits, "I must see what the will of the gods is."

He pulls the teddy bear off his belt and rips it open with his teeth. He then scatters the stuffing around him on the table. He mutters in Latin over the sad remains of the bear before looking up.

"The gods decree that Saturn is rising. I do not agree with it, but if it is their will, I will not stand in their way."

Jason gives a nod of assent before turning his gaze to Reyna. Her face is impassive, but she catches Jason's eye and dips her head slowly.

"Now then, we must decide on how this war shall be waged."

Three weeks later, the spear cuts gracefully through the air from Jason's hands and buries itself in the dry earth of Bellona's temple. His friends around him start to cheer.

Jason bows his head and prays. _Goddess Bellona, what am I doing? Help me to protect them. Help me keep my family safe. Help us win this war…_

**Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Many thanks to The Proud CC Giver for her help!**

**I do not own PJO!**

**The Middle**

They approach the top of the hill.

Jason clutches his coin in his hand so hard it's imprinting into his skin, his body shaking in nervousness. _What if this wasn't the right decision? What if my friends die? What if we lose? If anything happens, it's my fault. _He won't pray, not anymore. He has prayed enough over the last few weeks. Anytime he's not at the training center, he's in a temple on his knees, head bowed. The gods haven't answered.

Reyna's next to him, her sword at the ready. She looks like she was born for war, which Jason supposes she was.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"I hope so, too." Her hand slips into his.

"Ready?" He gives a tense nod and squeezes her calloused palm.

"If you die, I will personally go to the Underworld and kill you again."

"It's nice to know you care about me so much."

She laughs. "I know." Then, she pulls her hand away. "Okay, Romans. Cohorts, separate. Centurions, lead. One, start head on assault in five minutes. Two, wait until they're going to be overwhelmed, then follow one. Three, come with me, we're going to attack from the left. Four, same thing on the right. Jason, you're leading Five. A mission into the ruins to take out the Titans or anything that's in there. Don't expect any backup, so time it right. Also, don't fail."

He nods before looking out at the vast expanse of ruins that they have to conquer. It's most certainly crawling with monsters, and going in there without backup is a death sentence if not carefully planned.

Panic threatens to overwhelm his systems. He hangs on to the thought that if Jupiter thought he could do it, he can. The gods are almost never wrong. The pessimistic side of his mind can't help but pounce on the word _almost. _Sometimes, even the gods can be wrong.

He shakes it aside. He has to do this. He's made his choice, and he can't go back now.

The First Cohort charges. Sounds of battle fill the air, screams, yells, grunts, a legion at war. Swords clashing, spears bristling, arrows flying, bows twanging…

The monsters are terrifying to say the least. Hundreds and hundreds of them, all different shapes and sizes. He's never seen the likes of some of them, and he's been at Camp Jupiter for practically his whole life.

People begin going down from injuries and Jason winces every time a wound appears on someone as if it's his own.

It starts to rain, thick pearls of water flattening his hair to his head and running down his face. Visibility starts to become a problem as the air fills with water droplets.

Reyna leads her squad off to the left, sneaking through the knee-high grass and random chunks of smooth black marble. Aaron departs with her group.

Then, it's just him and the Second and Fifth Cohorts.

Suddenly, it's as if Jupiter is feeding him information. He sees the groups going to the left and right, sees the First cohort going under from the tide of monsters, sees the throne that he has to topple, sees the golden Titan Krios pacing, looking at what seems to be a large map. Vision and space blend into each other, giving Jason a peek into the raging battle.

He sees the weak point of the entire operation. There, in the back, there's only one monster, though it's a whopper. A huge drakon, sixty feet long at least, its purple head spitting plumes of green flames. He knows what he must do.

The image of Reyna and her group rips though the drakon. They're all fighting, fighting for their lives it seems. A band of enemy demigods, all armed to the teeth, outnumber the Romans two to one. Reyna's a devil in battle, but they're stronger than her and she has to protect her team, while they don't seem to care much about one another.

The image shatters.

Dakota's looking at him concernedly. "You all right, man?"

He shakes his head, trying to control his trembling. "Reyna's in trouble."

He quickly relays what he's seen to the two cohorts. Faces pale. Their praetor is in trouble.

Jason racks his brains for a better plan than the crazy one he's got, but nothing else comes to mind. "Okay. Here's what we're going to do. Half of the Second Cohort, go help the First. They're going to be overwhelmed any second now. Go!"

Half the Second Cohort charges down the hill and engages the monsters in battle. Jason's surprised in the amount of faith they have in him, that they'll risk their lives in a second.

He continues. "The other half, come with me."

They half run, half scramble through the grass, backs bent low to avoid being spotted. About a half-mile around, they catch a glimpse of the Third Cohort. Reyna's practically the only one left standing.

"Karen, go!" Jason yells, then watches the rest of the Second Cohort go to complete Reyna's mission.

He looks at the rag-tag Fifth Cohort, the group that Reyna entrusted with toppling the throne. Reyna wanted _him_ to do the deed. She thought he could do it, gave him the chance of a lifetime. He's shocked. She would never let him do it if she didn't have one hundred percent certainty that he could. Reyna doesn't take risks. Ever.

He turns to face his family. Twenty pairs of eyes look back at him.

"Come on. I know where we can get in the castle."

They follow him like a herd of sheep. No one raises any objections to stir up the seething mass of uncertainty in Jason's head. It makes him feel slightly better to know that they trust his judgment. He trips over a stray chunk of rock. Cursing, he gets to his feet and sucks in his breath at the sight in front of him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to The Proud CC Giver for Betaing!**

**I do not own PJO.**

**The End**

_A massive drakon, just like the one Jason had seen in his vision. M__assive purple body, huge spikes covering the tail, spitting green flames. Its eyes are milky white, but it can still hear them. It belches plumes of fire at him and lumbers forward. _

"_Split __up and distract it!" Jason commands._

They did, and only Dakota, Gwen, him, Erin, Hazel, and Abby are left. The rest are still fighting, fighting for their lives.

He leads the pitiful remains of the Fifth Cohort on around the narrow, winding, black corridors, trying to find the throne. He's been trying for a long time, too, and he thinks all he's done is get them more lost.

He turns to face them. "Any ideas?"

It seems deserted, which is freaking Jason out even more. He should have met something by now.

"I think I know where we should be going," says Hazel, starting to move.

Jason follows her. Hazel is daughter of Pluto. Anything involving tunnels? She's a whiz at. They walk in silence for another few minutes, footsteps echoing around no matter how hard they try to be quiet.

It's dark in the castle. Jason's sword provides the only light. They squint, trying to see anything that might be threatening.

_This is too easy, _Jason thinks. _It shouldn't be this easy. _

Then, a tidal wave of monsters come crashing down on them. He shoves Hazel behind him and demolishes the first wave. There's nowhere to hide, which is a good thing and a bad thing. His strikes catch the marble over and over. They turn to run, but a someone got an arm around him, pulling him back. He yells in anger and strikes out, to meet air. Nothing. No one's behind him. They're all running for their lives. They disappear around the corner, mistakenly thinking that Jason's following up behind them.

Frustration pools inside Jason. He tries to call out, but a draconae stuffs a gag into his mouth. They bind him, and drag him down a corridor into a massive throne room.

Krios is the only Titan present. His light pools in the corners of the room, flickering puddles of flame. They drop him with a thud at the golden Titan's feet. His coin flies out from his grasp and lands a few feet away. The monsters slink away, their job complete.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" The Titan purrs.

Jason wriggles madly, but the ropes are tied too tight. Krios prods Jason with his toe.

"A poor little son of Jupiter. I thought the Romans had better sense than this. Maybe that girl…Reyna, I think her name was. She's a warrior. You're almost not even worth killing." Hatred boils up inside Jason, a fiery dragon fighting to get out. He's going to teach this golden Titan not to mess with Rome. A plan starts to form in the deepest recesses of his mind. He rolls, scrabbling for a hold on the slick floor, but Krios is not to be underestimated. He laughs riotously.

"You ridiculous young _hero. _You think you can defeat me with your puny sword?"

He delicately places the toe of his shiny black boot on Jason's coin, and crushes it into the marble. Jason's hopes sink along with the golden coin. Without his weapon, he's useless. He grunts through the gag.

"What shall I do with you, young hero?" Krios muses. "I could kill you, but that wouldn't be any fun. Hmm."

He mutters to himself, then walks away, over to the thrones.

"Saturn will be so pleased. Once he has finished storming the Empire State Building, we shall have won! The Greeks will not be able to keep up under the assault. _Perseus Jackson," _he mimics. "_Hero of Olympus. Pah!" _

A blast of fire from his fingertips sending a shockwave of heat to Jason, burning his skin. Panic is setting in, has set in already, making him unable to process the words Krios has just uttered. But his next words are like ice in his blood.

"Rome has already fallen. Their praetor is dead. Do you hear me, son of Jupiter? Your praetor is dead!"

His breath freezes in his lungs. Reyna can't be dead. She's too strong to die. She can't die. She's daughter of Bellona. If she's died, it's his fault, and he can't live with himself if he sent her to her death, even if she wouldn't have it any other way.

The Titan kneels over Jason. "Surrender." The words hiss into Jason's ear. "Surrender and no one else will die. Surrender and you will be pardoned in the new world that we will create together. Surrender, Jason Grace. I do not wish to hurt you. You have nothing left. Your friends are dying out there because of you."

Jason's brain is in overload mode. Lupa's gravely voice is the only thing that he can make out. She drilled this point into his brain so many times he's never forgotten. Not even close. "Jason, the primary concern in the wolf pack is the pack. When you lead the pack, you must do whatever it takes to save the whole. If the pack is preserved, then the lives that sacrificed themselves to save it died honorably, and you mourn them and move on. It's the same with New Rome. Those soldiers out there risk their lives every day, and when you lead them into battle, they know they might die. Many lives can be spared if it means Rome lives on."

Reyna wouldn't have wanted him to give in. She wouldn't have given in. He's doing this for her. He grits his teeth against the gag.

"Just nod your head," the Titan purrs, pleased. "Nod your head and I'll consider it a surrender."

Jason shakes his head. He finally gets the slimy cloth out of his mouth and rasps, "Never. Rome will never surrender, and neither will I."

Krios stands. "Very well then. I suppose I must kill you."

A golden sword slips from the scabbard on the Titan's hip, and the tip plunges toward Jason's exposed chest. Jason rolls at the last minute.

As the blade sinks hilt-deep into the marble, he fingers dig for the coin. _It's got to be here somewhere, _he thinks. _But where?_

Krios yells in frustration and yanks the sword out of the stone. The tip plunges again. This time, Jason doesn't need to roll.

His sword clangs against the Titan's, an echoing sound, somehow encouraging him.

Krios looks shocked. Jason cuts through his bonds, and stands for his next blow. All of his years and years of sword-fighting have come down to this moment. The Titan is wicked good. The speed of the parries is unbelievable. He's relying on skill and intuition. He's barely keeping up, he won't be able to do this much longer, he's used to fighting with backup, not all alone. Romans fought as a team, a pack.

He calls on every ounce of strength he has, and summons a lightning bolt. He's unsure if it worked, but it certainly drained him. His vision's going in and out. Krios laughs, rears back for the death blow…

KABOOM!

The ceiling explodes in a rainbow of light, chunks of stone somersaulting to the ground. Kronos' throne vaporizes in the pure heat and anger of Jason's energy, pulsating with yellow light. It's no ordinary lightning bolt. Only Jason could do something like that.

When his vision clears somewhat, he sees a miracle. The monsters are fleeing, the cohorts chasing them to the edges of the castle before pulling up. He can hear the shouts of victory.

Soon they'll be looking for him. He drags himself to his feet, using his sword for a crutch. He waits for the black spots to recede from his vision, then stumbles through the rubble. It feels like forever, but finally he reaches the end of the fortress.

His friends engulf him, ruffle his hair, yell praises to the gods. Reyna's there, hair flying, obsidian eyes sparkling with happiness, a smile lighting up her stern face. She's alive. He hugs her until she shoves him away. "Watch it, Grace. I have people to rule. I can't have you taking up all my space." But she's laughing, and Jason knows she doesn't mean it.

Soon, the shouts turn to, "Praetor! Praetor! Praetor!"

He's shoved aboard the sea of blood-stained shields. _They've raised him to praetor. Praetor…_the position of upmost power in Rome. Octavian sulks in the corner, which somehow makes Jason feel even better.

The misty outline of Jupiter appears in the sky. "Well done, son of Jupiter", he says. "You have made me proud."

Jason bows his head. "Thank you, father."

Some of his family did not survived, but New Rome is saved. The gods are saved. And he'll worry about this Perseus Jackson later.

Gazing at the ruins of the black fortress, Jason finally feels like the leader he is…what he is meant to be.


End file.
